


Everything Changes

by iamtheunknown15



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Drama, Family, Medical, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 00:58:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7487103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamtheunknown15/pseuds/iamtheunknown15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When House's daughter falls ill with an unknown disease, he and his team race to find a diagnosis. But will this be the one puzzle that he cannot solve?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Background: In terms of plotline with the show, all things occurred as normal up through the beginning of Season 6 (when House was admitted into the psychiatric hospital and subsequently released). Thirteen returned from Thailand, and some time after, she and House got together. They got married several months later before finding out that Thirteen was pregnant (a lot of this will be covered with more detail throughout the story via flashbacks. Other important points: Wilson is still alive and was never diagnosed with cancer. House and Cuddy never dated (and she never left the hospital). Chase and Cameron are divorced, but Cameron still works at the hospital as head of the ER. If you have any other questions about this fic as situated in the show, just send me a PM!

Introduction

The soft tap of House's cane against the marble tile echoed through the empty hall leading to his office. The team was off working on their latest case - a forty year old gym teacher with pharyngitis and hemorrhagic cystitis who, much to his surprise given her butch aesthetic and stereotypical occupation, was not in fact a lesbian. He had stuck Thirteen on her the other day to perform a biopsy, and the patient had barely batted an eyelash. Doesn't matter how sick you are - no one with even a slight attraction to women could help but have an elevated heart rate in the presence of that siren. And yet, nothing. He allowed his own mind to wander as he considered the many assets of younger doctor that always sent his blood rocketing below the belt... God he hoped this was an early night.

His fantasizing was interrupted by the ding of the elevator followed by a soft pounding sound of someone running. House breathed a relieved sigh that they were not the determined clicks of Cuddy's heels but yet another more pleasant, albeit unexpected, sound. Before he could turn around, he received his confirmation: "Daddy!"

Swinging around wth an exaggerated look of shock, he bent down and opened his arms to catch the toddling three year old. "Jitterbug! What are you doing here?" He up over the girl's light brown, wavy pigtails at her mother, who had an amused smirk on her face.

"Well, the daycare had called saying that she was sick, but judging by her energy level now, I'd say that someone just ate too many cookies," Thirteen - well, Remy - relayed. While House had long stopped calling his wife by her numerical nickname, he couldn't quite bring himself to abandon it entirely, at least at work. Not that she minded. It was a term of endearment only fitting coming from him.

"My tummy hurted and I threwed up," the girl said, looking up at House.

"Yuck!" House said with pretend disgust, tapping her bottom softly to give him space to stand up with the help of Remy and his cane. "Well Miss Ava Hadley-House, you have come to the right place. How about we get you the full work up?"

Ava grinned and nodded her head enthusiastically, bright blue eyes gleaming. House knew that his wife's assessment was correct, but he also knew how much the three year old enjoyed playing doctor. No surprise there given her parents. Heading into the diagnostics room, he tapped the top of the glass table. "Hop on up, Buttercup." The little girl scurried into position with the help of a chair. "Dr. Hadley, stethoscope please." Ava giggled and Remy rolled her eyes before passing it over. Fixing the device in his ears, he pressed the chestpiece against her jumper top. "Normal pulse." He limped over to the file cabinet, grabbing a stray otoscope which he then used to look in her ears. "Enough wax to start a lucrative candle business but all normal. Follow my finger with your eyes." Ava did as instructed, an adorable look of determination on her face. "Well, kid, you passed. Looks like you're going to make it."

"Ava!" an Australian accent called out. The family turned to find the rest of the team had finally returned from their various tasks - Chase, Foreman, and Taub.

"Dowctor Chase," Ava said excitedly as the blonde scooped her off the table.

"What are you doing here?" Chase asked, "Don't you have school today?"

"I sick"

"Sick?"

"She had a bad case of toomanycookies-itis" Remy explained with a smirk.

"Ah, I hear that has great prevalence among toddlers," Chase said with a look of mock seriousness.

"How is the patient?" House asked, turning things over to business.

"O2 stats dropped. Biopsy was negative for bacterial infection. Increased swelling in her throat required incubation," Taub relayed.

"Then it's probably viral. Adenovirus," Thirteen said, grabbing the test results from Foreman.

"Doesn't explain the urinary tract issues," Foreman contested.

"It can in rare cases, especially if her immune system is already compromised?"

"By what?"

"Thirteen and Taub, run a blood panel. Test for viral and for blood cell levels. Chase and Foreman, run a CT scan. See if there is other damage from an autoimmune disorder that we're missing. Ava, come with me. We're going to go find Uncle Wilson."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do not own House M.D. Clearly. Some M content this chapter, which I put in bold text.

Chapter 1

"Uncowl Wilson!" Ava said excitedly, entering the oncologist's office from the balcony it shared with House's.

"Ava," Wilson returned with a grin, "How are you, cupcake?"

"Good. Daddy say we visit you," the little girl explained, crawling onto his lap. "You make the chawr spin?" Wilson chuckled. He had one spun Ava around in his desk chair and the toddler couldn't get enough of it.

"Might not be the best laid of plans," House cautioned, "Unless of course your chemo patients haven't been vomiting enough to meet your needs lately?"

"Are you sick Ava?" Wilson asked, a look of concern coming across his face.

"Too many ow-reos."

"Ah, I see," Wilson said with a laugh. "Well, you get your sense of impulse control from your father." House rolled his eyes at the jib at his addictive tendencies and took a seat on Wilson's couch. "So is she staying with you and Remy the rest of the day? I thought you had a patient…"

"We do, which is where you come in," House said with a smirk, putting his feet up on the coffee table – one of his friend's (many) pet peeves. "Want to play stay-at-home mom tonight?"

Wilson gave House a disapproving glare at his emasculation joke, "Uhh, sure thing, I can watch her. I have one more consultation but it shouldn't take long."

"Hear that, kiddo? You're going to the greatest place on Earth! Oh wait, that's Disney. Or Hooters."

"Sweep over?!" Ava asked, her blue eyes growing wide as bowls.

Wilson shrugged. "It is a Friday, if that's okay with you and Rem…"

"However will we entertain ourselves for one whole night," House responded sarcastically before giving Wilson an exaggerated wink.

Wilson rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile a bit. A few years ago, Wilson never would have anticipated being in this situation – _babysitting_ for his cynical best friend while he and his _wife_ enjoyed an evening to themselves. Ever since his stint at Mayfield, however, House had been different. Sure, he was still an asshole, but Wilson knew that most of that was a front he put on for (his own) entertainment. In reality, since he had gotten sober and especially since he had started dating Remy, his best friend's entire attitude had changed. The man was happy. It was like Pinocchio was suddenly a real boy and the Grinch's heart had grown three sizes. And as much as House still was the thorn in his side more often than not, Wilson was proud of him. He deserved to be happy.

Plus, the whole of the arrangement resulted in his gaining of a niece. Wilson used to envision himself as having the whole white picket fence scenario – a wife, 2 kids, and a golden retriever living in good old suburbia. Somewhere after the demise of his second marriage, the probability seemed fleeting, and after Amber's death, he knew that even if he moved on, he no longer wanted to have children. Now in his mid-forties, he somewhat enjoyed his role as the bachelor uncle. Well, at least the uncle part. Ava had his wrapped around his finger from the moment she was born, and to anyone who saw them together, there was no doubt that James Wilson had a family.

"Sounds like a plan," Wilson said. He looked down at his watch. "Ava, how about you and I go have some ice cream before my next meeting."

It was about nine o'clock when House and Remy got back to their apartment. Their patient was stable, palliative care for the adenovirus that had been exacerbated by pre-existing Lyme disease. Some antibiotics for the underlying condition and she would be back teaching snotty school kids with no coordination how to play kick ball by next week.

Remy dropped her purse on the counter and walked towards the fridge. "Leftovers?" House, of course, had become an epicurean during his recovery, however the younger doctor rightly anticipated that they were both in the mood for something quick and easy.

"And spirits," House said, grabbing a bottle of Riesling and two wine glasses from the cabinet. He and Remy rarely drank nowadays, given her diagnosis and his struggles with addiction. That being said, he figured it was a special occasion. Couple-time was rare when you had a three-year-old.

"Sounds perfect," Remy said with a relaxed smile. Grabbing a handful of Tupperware, she fixed two plates of leftover homemade Thai food and quickly slipped them in the microwave before House noticed. Along with his culinary sensibilities, he had also gained a snobbishness around the kitchen, and microwaves "sapped the flavor" out of his otherwise delicious creations. Remy, on the other hand, could hardly manage a can of soup that had more than a five minute prep time.

Luckily, House had occupied himself with his Gameboy, and a couple minutes later Remy joined him on the couch with their food. Flipping on the television to a tivo-ed episode of Game of Thrones, the two ate in relaxed silence, Remy lounging with her legs draped over House's lap. When they finished eating, Remy snuggled up next to House with her wine, allowing House to absentmindedly play with the ends of her long chestnut hair as they finished their child-inappropriate show. After an animated complaint session as to yet another wild cliffhanger, Remy got up and began to clear their plates.

House interrupted her. "So, how about a shower," he asked with a playful smirk. Remy turned to look at him and smiled. "Leave the plates. We'll clean up in the morning." Standing up and grabbing her hand, he led her towards the bathroom.

**[OKAY SO SEX STUFF STARTS HERE – Scroll past if you'd like]**

**Arriving at their destination, House started the faucets to heat up the water (not that it would inevitably be necessary) before they got in while Remy began to undress, slipping out of her charcoal gray slacks and fitted v-neck sweater. Turning around, House took a moment to look her up and down – the smooth expanse of her ivory skin interrupted only by a matching set of a lacy bra and bikini-style panties. Casual, but oh so sexy. He could see the tips of her nipples beginning to strain against the fabric of their confines, and he felt his pants begin to tighten around the crotch. His eyes, having turned a deep sapphire from his desire, met hers and they smiled. Sure they had been married for almost four years now, but the spark was definitely still there.**

**Remy stepped forward so she was all but flush against the older doctor and placed her hand on his chest. Going up on the balls of her feet to compensate for the bit of height difference, she gave him a long, languid kiss while slipping the hand down his chest and to his waist line. She drew her finger lightly along the outline of his bulge, tantalizing him, before instead moving to remove his t-shirt.**

**"Tease," he said with playful exasperation, biting her lower lip softly. He knew that drove her crazy. On cue, Remy sped up her ministrations, and soon they were standing there entirely naked, with the exception of her panties. After the infarction, House never thought he would be confortable revealing his body to anyone, especially someone as young and absolutely gorgeous as Remy. While he still didn't fully understand what she saw in his fifty-five-year-old gawky physique, he certainly was not complaining, and since their first time together, he trusted her fully. The younger doctor didn't only make him feel comfortable with his condition, but normal.**

**Remy grinned looped her fingers around the sides of her now very wet panties, slipping them down her smooth legs and kicking them onto the floor. Giving House one more quick peck, she led him into the shower.**

**Of course, there wasn't much "showering" that actually occurred. For a brief moment, House let his mind wandered to the fun fact that soap wasn't necessary for cleaning but was only an agent for efficiency. All logical thinking went out the window, however, when Remy got on her knees in front of him. She took him into her mouth fully, cupping her hands around his scrotum and gently massaging the area. House let out a small gasp at the sensation and grabbed onto the assistive shower bar to steady himself. Looking down, he was met with an extremely erotic sight. His wife, water dripping through her long tendrils of hair and down her full, perky breasts, not only had her tongue running up the length of his shaft but also had her free hand massaging her own center. If he hadn't been in his fifties and on SSRIs, he probably would have cum on the spot. He wrapped his other hand around the back of her head and let out a grown as she brought him nearer and nearer to the brink.**

**Before he could reach that point, however, she stopped, stood up, and turned off the faucet. Grabbing him hands, she led him out of the shower and towards their bedroom without even bothering to dry off. "I need you," was all she said. Again, given his age and medication, repeat performances were few and between, and tonight House wanted nothing more than to be inside of her.**

**When they got to their room, House assaulted her with fierce kisses, guiding her back to their bed that she fell back against softly. The two resituated themselves quickly and House settled between his wife's outstretched thighs. Kissing her kneecap, he ran his tongue down her upper leg until he reached the place he knew that she wanted him most. In no mood to tease, he flicked his tongue against her clitoris and easily slipped a finger inside of her, milking her pleasure.**

**Remy let out a long moan, running her fingers through his short gray hair. When they first got together, in spite of his natural abilities, she had to help direct his mouth to hit all of the right spots, but now he knew her body better than anyone. Sometimes even better than she did. So if wasn't long until House felt her inner walls clenching against his finger as she came.**

**Removing his finger gently, he slid his upper body over hers so that he could kiss her as she came down from the heightened state of pleasure, and she tasted herself on his mouth. The eroticism of that alone left her aching for more. And who was House to deny her. Kissing her languidly, he guided his member to her opening and filled her. "Fuckkk," Remy sighed, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Faster." House picked up his pace and established a smooth rhythm, hitting her G-spot perfectly with every thrust. She dragged her fingers down his back, smiling with the knowledge that he'd certainly have marks to remember this by tomorrow. It wasn't long until they were both crying out each other's names.**

[Okay, sex stuff over! Safe for non-adult eyes again lol]

Covered in a mix of shower water and sweat, House rolled off of Remy, panting slightly. A few minutes later, he felt the tickle of her hair in the crook of his neck as she snuggled against him. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

Remy smiled and placed her hand on his chest, running her fingers through the bristly curls that covered it. "I love you too." It wasn't long until they were both asleep.

A/N: First off, thank you so much for the reviews so far! I really do appreciate the feedback and try to take it into consideration whenever I can. More drama coming up soon but I wanted to establish the characters and back story a bit before I jumped too far in. Also, hope that the sex scene turned out okay *blushes* I'm gay and have only been with girls so it's a little out of my realm of expertise lol.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

House’s cane clicked furiously against the marble floor as he hobbled — faster than one would think possible — to the elevator, Cuddy close beyond. As the metal doors closed behind them, Cuddy looked at the older doctor nervously. His face was contorted into a firm grimace. Unsurprising. But more jarring was the look of genuine fear in House’s icy blue eyes. Cuddy had seen House express many things — curiousity, anger, frustration, even happiness. But fear was a rarity. In fact, the last time she personally had seen House afraid was when he was detoxing from Vicodin…

“What happened,” he asked gruffly, never making eye contact with the administrator. His question pulled Cuddy back into the present moment.

“I’m not sure,” she stuttered. “One of the nurses came and found me in the lobby. You weren’t responding to your pager, so I figured this was the quickest way. House bit his lip in anger. What kind of idiot was he for throwing his pager into his bottom desk drawer so as not to be disturbed. He was just trying to avoid clinic duty. And yet in shirking on that responsibility, he had unintentionally ignored the biggest one of all. He tapped his cane anxiously, the elevator ride seeming eternally long.

“Remy…”

“Cameron paged her. When I got to your office, she said that Remy had just left the clinic.”

———Page Break — — — 

Remy tore through the doors of the clinic, not even bothering to apologize when she almost ran into a nurse pushing a patient in his wheelchair. She could hardly see, eyes blurring over with fear, heart pounding in her chest.

Reaching the ER, she didn’t bother checking in with the nurse who was calling her name, probably concerned by her frenetic appearance. Instead, she scoped the room until she saw Cameron’s blonde hair. Rushing over to the area, which was swarmed with several nurses, Remy had in no way prepared herself for the impending sight. Lying limply on the hospital cot was her daughter. Ava’s skin was pale and blueish, cyanotic from the lack of oxygen. Her eyes were half-closed as she clearly struggled to stay awake, her small chest rising and falling feebly as she gasped for air through an oxygen mask. Remy let out a sob.

Cameron turned away from Ava to look at her distressed colleague, who seemed frozen in place. Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, she addressed her firmly, “Remy, you need to step back and let us take care of her.” In a daze, the brunette shifted back slightly, her eyes never leaving her daughter. Cameron quickly turned her attention back to the patient.

“O2 stats are still dropping,” called out a nurse.

“Supplemental oxygen isn’t working,” Cameron said. Turning to ask Remy for permission, she instead was met with House’s stare, his shaking wife at his side. “We need to ventilate.”

“Do it.”

———Page Break — — —   
“You have asthma, right Remy?” Cameron asked. Remy stared down at the still-full glass of water someone had handed her earlier. “Remy?”

“Um, yeah. But Ava’s never had any trouble breathing before.”

“Any other signs of recent illness?”

“She threw up on Friday. At school. But we figured it was because she had eaten too much junk food too quickly. She was fine afterwards. And all weekend. Maybe I missed something…” Tears began to pool in Remy’s eyes and she felt Cameron place a comforting hand on her knee.

“That’s enough history for now. You and House can fill out the rest later. As soon as she’s stable, we want to get Ava down to radiology for a chest x-ray, but you should go see her right now.” Remy nodded and allowed the blonde to take her cup and help her out of her seat. “Let me take you.”

When they reached Ava’s room in the ICU, they found House standing outside the door looking through the plexiglass at the nurse attending to his daughter. Cameron moved to speak with him, but then hesitated and decided against it, leaving Remy and House alone. Remy walked over to his side. “They sedated her once she was ventilated. She was scared.” Reaching down, he grabbed Remy’s hand and walked with her into the room. The attending nurse acknowledged them with a sympathetic smile before leaving the room.

Remy went immediately to Ava’s side, taking one of her hands in hers. She began to cry when she felt its lifelessness, forcing herself to remember that was an effect of the sedation. House, meanwhile, had grabbed Ava’s chart from the end of her bed and was reviewing it furiously. About an hour later, Cameron returned with Cuddy, and the group headed down to radiology. They looked at the results of the x-ray. “Her heart isn’t enlarged… appears normal,” Cameron began relieved, “But, her lungs, they are almost entirely filled with fluid. No signs of injury or structural abnormality. It has to be an infection.” 

“What kind of infection could result in this much damage without notable earlier symptoms?” Cuddy asked, looking more closely at the scans. House began to pace.

“We sent out blood cultures when Ava was admitted. They aren’t done yet, but there are a whole slew of viruses or bacterial infections that can cause ARDS. We’ll have to narrow it down…”

“I’m taking it,” House interrupted, the three women’s heads shooting in his direction. “I’m taking the case.”


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D.

A/N: I am not a doctor. I have done a lot of internet research for this story, but of course it's probably not entirely medically accurate but shhhhh

Chapter 4

Cuddy ran after House as he exited radiology, Cameron and Remy right behind her. "House," she said firmly, reaching to grab his arm. "House!" He turned around, clearly irritated, brow furrowed into sharp, angry crevices.

"What?"

Cuddy met his eyes with a look of incredulousness, throwing her hands up. "You cannot take this case. It's- it's a blatant conflict of interest."

"Doesn't matter," he responded flatly, turning to go before Cuddy yanked him back by the sleeve of his dark grey blazer.

"Of course it matters," she said, narrowing her eyebrows. "It wouldn't be hospital policy if it didn't matter..."

"Override it," House demanded, rolling his eyes. "It's not like you don't override policies left and right for me."

"House-" Cameron said soothingly, trying to intervene.

"Shut up," he interrupted her sharply, not even bothering to turn to face her. "There is no better diagnostic team in this hospital." He cleared his throat. "This is Ava…"

"Exactly, this is Ava. Your daughter. You can't be objective."

The coolness of House's eyes as he glared into hers sent a chill up Cuddy's spine. "If I don't take this case, and she doesn't make it, she will be dead when we could have saved her."

Cuddy took a deep breath and took a step forward to meet his challenge. "If you take this case, and she doesn't make it, you will never forgive yourself."

"That is a chance that I am willing to take."

Cuddy chewed on her lip anxiously, a small pool of tears filling to the brim. She exhaled heavily, the last bit of resolve exiting her system. "I'll approve it."

House nodded curtly, and as Cuddy left to return to her office, he again turned to head back to the differential room. Remy's soft call stopped him. "Greg." He turned to meet his wife's eyes. They were red-rimmed, hints of her mascara smeared messily on her eyelids. She clearly was barely holding it together. "I- I can't…"

House nodded in understanding. "Stay with Ava. I'll page Foreman, Taub, and Chase. Cameron," he said, turning to the blonde, "Take her back to Ava's room." Cameron placed her hand on the small of Remy's back and guided the younger doctor back into radiology. House didn't even take a moment to watch them and was at the elevator before they had even turned the corner of the corridor.

\- - - - - Page break - - - - -

"3 year old patient presenting with acute respiratory distress syndrome and vomiting. X-rays show fluid in the lungs, no sign of heart damage. Possible causes?" House asked as he wrote the symptoms on the dry erase board.

Foreman looked at the file dubiously before tossing it back on the table. "We can't take this case."

"According to Cuddy, we can," House said as he continued to write.

"Regardless of what you coerced Cuddy into, this is not only a clear breach of ethics but is stupid. We all know Ava. That will effect the process…"

"If you disagree with it, then get the hell out of here," House practically yelled, snapping the marker cap onto its body. "For the rest of you, if you want to continue to know Ava, give me a diagnosis." Foreman sighed, but lowered himself back into his seat.

"No structural damage means its either an environmental toxin or an infection," Taub offered.

"ER sent in her blood for testing when she was admitted. Preliminary findings for the fast tests were negative but the full results should be back within an hour," House relayed.

"Could still be structural," Foreman said, looking at the images, "X-ray is only marginally effective. We should run a CT scan."

House nodded. "Foreman, run a CT. Taub and Chase, check the patient's nursery school and home for toxins. I'll wait here for the results of the blood panels." He grabbed a post-in note and scribbled down some information before reaching into his pocket and grabbing his house keys. "Here are the addresses."

\- - - - - Page break - - - - -

After gathering a slew of samples from the nursery school, Taub and Chase entered House and Remy's apartment. "Why do you think he's having us check here," Chase asked, "It's his house."

"Probably doesn't want to be too far away from Ava," Taub said heading over to the refrigerator.

"He literally just handed us the keys though. He never does that," Chase said, looking through a cabinet of household cleaners, appropriately child-locked.

Taub shrugged, "Probably didn't want a broken door knob." He bagged a sample of lunch meat. "Besides, it's better that we do it. You live in the same place, you stop noticing the little details."

"I doubt House ever stops noticing little details," Chase countered. "Regardless, this gives us opportunity to snoop," he added, heading down the hallway towards his boss' bedroom. Taub rolled his eyes but followed in suit, himself mildly curious about what domestic life in the Hadley-House household looked like. Entering the room, the shorter man wiped a q-tip into the radiator to at least give the appearance that their investigation of the master bedroom was business-related.

Chase, on the other hand, wasted no time and was soon looking through the drawers of the bedside table. The top drawer was fairly innocuous: a few issues of medical journals, Thirteen's inhaler, a book of logic puzzles. The bottom drawer, however, proved much more interesting. "Oh my God," Chase exclaimed when he saw its contents. Taub looked over at him curiously and the Australian held up a pair of handcuffs with a smirk. "I wonder who gets tied up."

Taub shook his head and headed into the adjoining bathroom. "Not a visual I need," he called back.

Chase played with the metal hoops in his hands for a moment. "Not of him maybe, but of Thirteen…" Taub peaked his head out of the doorway and gave him a disapproving look. "You can't say you've never thought about it."

"I have a wife— "

Chase scoffed, "Oh yeah, like that's stopped you before."

Taub rolled his eyes. "Fine, yes, any red-blooded man would engage in that fantasy but she," he added, looking at a framed picture of House, Remy, and Ava on the day she was born, "is so incredibly, albeit confusingly, taken." The photo reminding him of their actual task, Taub gestured to head to the next room. "Come on."

Opening the door, they entered Ava's bedroom.

Three years earlier

"It's – pink," Remy said incredulously, her hand rested over a very large bump.

House shrugged shyly, "Told the department store clerk I was painting the room for a girl and she said they like pink." He walked over to her, running his hands down her arms. "What, just because you're bisexual you have to be a radical feminist too? No binary gendered wall colors!" Remy laughed and rolled her eyes before smiling to herself. House may be trying to play it cool, but the handful of samples she once caught him flipping through indicated that the light ballet slipper paint was his very deliberate decision. It was very sweet.

Leaving House's embrace, she walked across the room and sat down on the white rocking chair House's mother had gifted them last week at their baby shower. "Ugh," she grumbled, "my ankles are killing me. I feel like a beached whale."

"Sperm whales have a 16-month gestation period. Be glad you are not a whale," House quipped before lowering himself to the ground in front of her. "You're going to need to massage my leg later for sitting like this," he prefaced before rolling down her knit socks and kneading his fingers through the swollen flesh.

"I don't know if you saw it in the fridge while I was napping, but Taub's wife dropped off kugel earlier," Remy relayed, "As though I would have been the one cooking for us in the first place.

House smirked. "Yes, again with those feminist ideals. On maternity leave doing nothing all day and you can't even bother to have a nice home-cooked dinner prepared."

"What time would that leave me to read The Feminine Mystique?" Remy joked.

"Well, Rachel certainly gets mitzvah points with the Big Guy, but kugel doesn't beat the ragu-stuffed embryonali that I made you."

Remy's mouth dropped open. "You didn't!" Ever since she had hit her third trimester, she had had an unexplainable craving for the odd dish that House had come up with when he first left Maywood.

"They are already on the table," House said, switching to the other ankle.

"Ugh, come up here so I can kiss you, you perfect man."

"Can I get that on record for Nolan, Wilson, Cuddy, and uh oh you when you're in labor?"

\- - - - - Page break - - - - -

Wilson knocked softly on the frame of the doorway, catching Remy's attention. She nodded for him to come in before turning back to Ava. The sedative had worn off earlier and the little girl had been terrified by tubing in her throat. Luckily, Remy had been able to calm her down, but the outburst had completely exhausted the already frail child and she had drifted off to sleep about an hour ago. It was probably for the best.

"How is she doing?" Wilson asked, placing a comforting hand on Remy's shoulder.

She shrugged. "O2 count is still lower than normal. The CT was normal. We're still waiting on test results. "

"She's going to be okay."

"You don't know that," Remy responded bleakly.

Wilson sighed. "It's 8 o'clock. Have you eaten anything?"

Remy shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"I'll have the nurses bring something light for you. Where's House."

"Your guess is as good as mine. I haven't seen him since she was X-rayed."

"He hasn't been here?" Remy shook her head. Before Wilson could continue, Taub entered the room.

"Soil from the nursery school's outdoor play area showed a high level of fertilizer. We're going to give her a corticosteroid and see if reducing inflammation improves respiratory function. The blood results will also be back soon. I just checked with the lab."

"Thank you," Remy said, offering a weak smile. Wilson gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"I'll have the nurse get you some food. You okay if I leave for a bit?" Remy nodded, watching carefully as Taub changed Ava's IV fluids.

After speaking with the closest nurse, Wilson headed up to the fourth floor. He entered House's office without knocking and found his friend sitting at his desk, large tennis ball in hand, clearly lost in thought.

"Get your ass downstairs to your daughter's room."

"I'm thinking," House growled.

Wilson walked over and grabbed the ball from his hands. "House, this is not just any case."

"You think I don't fucking know that, Wilson."

"Then you can't disassociate from this like its any other patient. It won't make you objective. It'll just make you an ass." House looked up at him, his expression unreadable. Wilson softened his tone. "House, you need to be down there too. I know you are working the case, but right now, they need you. Ava needs you and Remy, she's barely holding it together. You started a treatment. You're waiting for test results. You can go be with them."

House was silent for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

\- - - - - Page break - - - - -

The consistent chirp of the heart monitor was both comforting and nerve-wracking as Remy fought to keep her eyes open, keeping vigilant watch over Ava. The nurse had brought her a blanket with some food earlier, but both remained untouched. She heard the door to the room slide open and the tapping of House's cane against the ground as she felt his presence slowly encroach.

"Wilson," she asked harshly, clearly hurt that it had taken his friend's goading for him to come downstairs.

"Yeah." House was quiet for a moment. "I was thinking."

Hearing the emotion in his voice, Remy softened and turned to him. "We need you here too."

House nodded before moving to sit on the edge of Ava's bed, looking over her. He reached up to run his fingers through her mop of hair. The motion stirred the little girl, who opened her eyes sleepily and struggled to speak, "D-a-ach."

"Shh, don't speak, Bug. You'll hurt your throat with the tube. Just sleep." Ava looked at him nervously before griping his hand tightly, a silent begging for him not to leave. "I'll be here when you wake up, I promise." The exhausted child soon drifted back off to sleep, and House waited until he was sure she was out before he careful extracted his hand. Remy quietly pulled another chair next to hers. Sitting down, he took her hand in his and the two continued to watch their daughter as time slowly passed on.

At some point, Foreman entered the room. "It's mycoplasma pneumonia. She must have been mostly asymptomatic until now. Walking pneumonia. We'll swap out the steroids for azithromycin. If she responds quickly, hopefully we can have her off of the ventilator and on oxygen by tomorrow night." Remy truly smiled for the first time that whole day and squeezed House's hand. It felt too good to be true. "Also, Cuddy is having another cot brought down here. She figured neither of you would want to leave."

Nor did they. Curled up together on a twin-sized cot next to their daughter's, the couple, exhausted by the day, fell into a quick albeit restless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Alright Miss Ava, how would you like to get this tube out of your throat?" Chase asked with a smile. Ava's eyes widened with excitement, and she mustered a small nod. She was still extremely weak from the pneumonia, and likely would need to stay in the hospital for the rest of the week, but her O2 levels had shown significant improvement with the antibiotics.

"Ah but she was so nice and quiet for once," House joked.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Alright then, this may feel a bit funny, but it shouldn't hurt." Remy held her daughter's small hand in hers, brushing the hair off of her face. "I need you to give me a nice cough while I remove the tube." Ava complied, the irritation of the movement causing her to wheeze slightly.

"Get an anti-inflammatory into her IV for throat swelling," House ordered. Chase nodded and exited the room to get some drugs.

"I go home now?" Ava asked weakly.

"Not yet, Jitterbug," House said, sitting down next to her. "You have an infection in your lungs. And it takes a little while for the medicine to make that all better."

"But you have all of the best doctors taking care of you, sweetheart," Remy added, sitting down on the bed as well. "Dr. Chase, Dr. Foreman, Dr. Taub. You'll be all better really soon."

"And then we go to the zoo?"

House and Remy looked at one another and chuckled. "Only if we can see the alligator feeding," House said, knowing it was his daughter's favorite attraction. Ava nodded enthusiastically

"Can Uncowl Wilson come too?"

"Did someone say my name," Wilson asked, walking into the room, hands held behind his back.

"Uncowl Wilson!" Ava said excitedly before having a coughing fit.

"Shh, baby you have to stay a little more calm so you don't irritate your lungs," Remy said, rubbing the child's back soothingly.

"Glad to see you're getting better, Ava. You gave us a big scare."

"Sowry."

"Don't be sorry, silly. It's not your fault," Wilson said, kissing the top of her head. "And, I brought you a little pal to hang out with while you get better." He pulled a wooly brown teddy bear from behind his back.

Ava smiled widely, hugging the bear to her chest. "Tank you!"

Chase returned to the room with the anti-inflammatories. "Some more medicine. House, Cuddy wanted to speak with you in her office."

House rolled his eyes. "I'll be right back." He kissed Ava's forehead and gave Remy a peck before heading out of the room with Wilson.

The pair made their way over to Cuddy's office, finding the administrator at her desk. She looked up sympathetically. "How is she doing?"

"If you had come to the room yourself instead of dragging me away from my sick three-year-old, you would see that she was much better."

Cuddy sighed, "I'm sorry. The head of the Board is going to be here momentarily and I was finalizing my justification for my override for your case."

"I can send you a photo of my recovering child if that would be useful."

"House, okay, you may have been right. But another doctor could have solved this case too."

"Lisa, does it really matter," Wilson said exasperated. "Ava is better, and that's what is important."

Cuddy exhaled heavily, biting her bottom lip. "Go be with your family." House nodded and he and Wilson exited the office.

Meanwhile, Remy was watching cartoons with Ava on her iPad. She smiled at her daughter, who was looking more and more healthy as the medicine began to work. Stifling a yawn, she blinked her eyes in an effort to keep them open. She was exhausted and longed to just be home cuddled up in bed with House and their daughter. Just a few more days.

Humored by the show, Ava began to laugh, which unfortunately turned into another bout of coughing. "Mama, water pwease?"

"Sure baby, I'll be right back," she said, heading out into the hall to grab a cup of water. Before she could turn the corner, however, an incessant loud beeping had her sprinting back towards her daughter's room. Ava was prone on the bed, struggling to breath. Her heart monitor jumped up and down jaggedly. Remy ran to her side and began chest compressions. "Help," she called out desperately, tears running down her cheeks. "Somebody please help!"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D.

Chapter 6

The cold air stung against Remy's face, a brisk wind whipping strands of her hair into her eyes. The resulting tears surprised her – she didn't think that she had any more left to give. Hugging her black peacoat tightly against her, she climbed the cement stairs and entered the building.

She could only catch glimpses. Cameron's red-rimmed eyes, her body folded into Chase's chest in spite their lack of wedding rings. Taub and Rachel's sympathetic bow of their heads. Foreman's robotic eyes glazed over with some type of emotion. House's mom dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Cuddy's arms around Wilson holding his shaking body.

And then there was him. Standing at the front of the room. Remy walked blindly down the aisle to meet him. She stood next to him, not touching but with a closeness that she couldn't explain. Remy looked at House's face – it was worn, deep crevices of wrinkles, dark circles under his eyes. His eyes, normally vibrant, had a dullness to them as he looked down.

Remy followed his eyes. A casket far too small. Ava was laying there, pale and lifeless. She was dressed in her favorite yellow dress, a gift from her Uncle Wilson. Tucked under her arm was the stuffed rabbit House had brought home for her in one of his first attempts to prepare for their baby.

Remy willed her eyes to open, looked for any small movements, will it all to be a terrible mistake. It wasn't. Their baby was gone. Remy felt her body becoming weak and she fell to her knees, screaming "No, wake up, please no."

"Remy – Remy. Wake up. Remy." A soothing voice penetrated the young woman's consciousness and she jolted awake, met with Cuddy's concerned face.

"A- Ava," she choked out.

Cuddy grabbed one of her hands, "She's in testing right now. You fell asleep." Remy looked around disoriented. No funeral home. She was still in the hospital, on a chair in the hallway in the cardiac suite. "Let me take you back to Ava's room to wait for her, so you can lay down."

Remy shook her head. "No," she said, voice scratchy, "She might need me."

Cuddy squeezed her hand. "If it were Rachel, I would feel the same way. But right now, she's with Chase, Foreman, and House. Her dad is there with her. And Ava's room is right around the corner from the lab if she needs you. But you have to take care of yourself too, so that you're able to stay strong enough to be there for her."

Remy pursed her lips together and closed her eyes. She was too physically and emotionally exhausted to argue with the administrator. She nodded, and Cuddy helped the women out of her seat, guiding her down the hallway.

When they got back to the room, things were uncomfortable. Remy knew that she was not the administrator's favorite person. She had long expected it had less to do with divergent understandings of medical ethics and more to do with jealousy regarding one misanthropic doctor. Anyone at Princeton-Plainsboro knew that Cuddy had a thing for House. Even though she was happily with Lucas now, Remy could see how she looked at her husband like he was the one who got away. It used to bother her, the way people always assumed that House and Cuddy were destined to get together. Cuddy, the pretty, high school cheerleader in love with the star of the football team while Remy herself was just, true to her past and to the metaphor, a stoner probably. When she and House first got together, it mostly concerned her that he felt the same way too, and that she was just a transient fling into a puzzle that he would leave as soon as he solved it.

House had opened up to her about it. Affirmed that yes, there was a time where he had thought Cuddy was the right answer for him, a chance at some type of unique normalcy. But the reality of the situation became clear to him when he met Remy. Try as she might, Cuddy understood him better than most, but didn't get it. She didn't want to be with House as he was, but as she thought that he could be. Remy was different. She accepted him in his entirety, loved parts of him that others couldn't. It was with her that he actually learned how to be vulnerable while still being strong. Greg House was different now because of Remy, but not because she tried to force him to change. Rather, they were cut from the same tattered cloth and, aligned, filled in each others gaps.

"Do you want to try to sleep?" Cuddy asked gently.

Remy shook her head. "I can't."

Cuddy nodded sympathetically. She looked at the door, unsure if she should leave, before turning back to her young employee who was bearing holding herself together. Cuddy sighed internally before sitting down next to Remy on the cot.

The room was quiet for several minutes. Odd, but not tense. The ticks of the wall clock could be heard over empty air.

Suddenly, Remy broke down into tears, folding over weakly as sobs wracked her body. "Come here," Cuddy consolingly, gathering the doctor into her arms, rubbing a hand up and down her back soothingly. She felt Remy's tears soaking through the shoulder of her blouse. "Shhh," she whispered soothingly, like she did with Rachel after she had a nightmare, "It's okay."

"I ca- I can't" Remy hiccupped between sobs, pulling away to look at the woman. "I can't lose her Cuddy. She's- she's our whole wo-world."

Cuddy felt her own set of tears pooling in her eyes. She honestly couldn't imagine the pain that Remy was going through, couldn't even stomach thinking about how she would feel if Rachel was in the same position of Ava. She knew that nothing she could say would console Remy, and simply pulled her into her arms again and let her cry. Cuddy's maternalism in the moment only made the younger woman sob harder.

Flashback

Nine-year-old Remy Hadley snuck in through the back door of her house quietly, sighing in relief when she found no one else in the kitchen. Keeping the hood of her sweatshirt up, she walked softly as she could to the refrigerator and grabbed a frozen bag of peas from the freezer drawer. Now came the tricky part. She tiptoed to the doorframe between the kitchen and hallway and listened. The television was on, daytime tv blaring like always. But there was a change that she was asleep. A chance that Remy could scurry down the hall to her bedroom and lock it. She took a deep breath and started to walk.

About two steps in, a loose floorboard creaked, and Anne Hadley's head shot over in her direction from where she sat on the floral couch, blanket tucked around her sweatsuit-clad body, half eaten tv dinner in front of her. "Re-re-remy get in-in here," she growled.

Remy closed her eyes, willing herself to be tough. Shoving the peas into the pocket of her sweatshirt, she shrugged into the living room, picking up a glass off the ground that her mother must have knocked over and placing it on the fold-a-away table. Her mother tried to narrow her eyes at her, but the chorea had her head lolling as she spoke. "Mrs.-Mrs. Danes ca-called."

Remy bit her lip and braced herself. It had happened at recess. Emily Danes was her best friend. Had been for several years. Unlike most of the kids who kept their space from her, Emily had never shied away from Remy's moodiness or tough demeanor. Hadn't scoffed at Remy's mom like the other girls when she had a fit in front of them in the school parking lot. Emily had even continued coming over her house after the others long stopped daring to.

In fact, it was Emily who made her feel happy most days. Who shared her lunch with her when Remy's house was out of groceries without making her feel embarrassed for it. Who convinced Remy to let her French-braid her hair. Whose friendship bracelet made of multi-colored strands of embroidery floss Remy wore like it was made of gold.

There had been on the playground afterschool, away from the other girls, hanging upside down on the monkey bars. Remy smiled at Emily, whose curly red hair hung messily, pale skin becoming more and more red under her freckles as the blood rushed to her face. Green eyes glimmering from the sun. Her friend stuck her tongue out at her, and Remy felt that fluttering in her stomach that she didn't understand. And it wasn't the first time.

Dismounting the bars and landing on the muddy ground with a splash, Remy found Emily laughing at her back on the ground. "What?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"Nothing. You just have mud all over your face." Remy wiped her sweatshirt sleeve across her face, smearing the mud across her skin. Emily chuckled. "That made it worse. Here, let me help you." Stepping closer to Remy, she licked her finger and brushed it across Remy's forehead, her cheeks, her chin, leaving the brunette with a tingling sensation wherever she touched. "You just have some on your lip." As Emily reached to wipe it off, Remy looked at her as the butterflies completely filled her stomach. Without thinking, she leaned over and pressed her lips to Emily's. They were soft and warm and comfortable. And Remy thought she could stay like that forever until she felt herself being pulled backwards.

Stumbling back, she fell to the ground, landing in the soft squishy earth. "What the hell is this?" It was Emily's older brother. He was yelling. His two friends similarly scowling. "You kissed my sister? What are you, a fucking queer?" He reached down and pulled Remy up by the collar.

"I- I-" Remy stuttered in the face of the thirteen-year-old.

"I know you're family is fucked so it's no surprise they are raising a disgusting queer. Maybe you need someone else to teach you a lesson." With that, he punch Remy square in the face. She saw stars, felt her vision getting blurry as her eye began to swell.

"No!" she heard Emily yell at her brother, whose fist was poised to hit the brunette again.

"Emily," he growled at the girl. Emily's eyes met Remy's. Tears were pooling up inside of them but she blinked them away. "Emily!" her brother yelled more strongly.

Emily swallowed. "Don't you ever talk to me again Remy. I'm not friends with queers."

Remy felt her heart break, numbing her to the pain of Emily's brother tossing her onto the pavement, scrapping the palms of her hands open.

"Get the hell out of here, you dyke," her brother yelled. Remy took off running, tears filling her eyes as she climbed through the woods of Newton, Massachusetts. She yanked at the friendship bracelet on her wrist until it broke off, leaving it in the dust behind her.

Now in front of her mother, Remy looked down as her chafed wrist.

"You- you some type of pervert," her mother yelled, arm flailing to the side and sending the glass and her tv dinner tumbling to the ground once more, staining the carpet. "Ta-take your hood-hood off," she demanded.

Remy sheepishly pulled the hood off of her head, revealing the splotchy black and blue left side of her face. Anne grabbed her face, her chorea causing her to press into the bruise, making Remy wince.

Anne grimaced. "You- you think I ca-ca-ca-can fuck-ing take care of you-you?" Remy fought back tears. She refused to cry in front of her mother. "Get- out of here, you lit-lit-little whore."

Remy swore to herself that she would never become her mother, would never hurt her child physically or emotionally the way that Remy had been hurt. But now there she was, falling apart when her daughter needed her. Remy stiffened her body, forcing herself to stop crying. Leaving Cuddy's embrace, she stood up and headed back towards the cardiac suite.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Hemolytic anemia," House said to Remy as they looked over their sleeping daughter.

"A complication from the pneumonia," Remy filled in. House nodded.

"There's no structural damage to the heart. Her spleen is enlarged, but we're not rushing to remove it. Taub and Chase will be here momentarily to start the exchange transfusion, but then she should be fine," House said with an exhausted but comforted sigh. He stepped over to Ava's IV, adding some corticosteroids, mind clearly wandering.

"Greg?" He turned to her, and Remy noticed the dark bags under his eyes. He was clearly exhausted.

"How did we miss this?"

Remy inhaled. Over the past several days, at her worst moments, she had asked herself the same thing. They were doctors after all. How had they not noticed that their own daughter was sick. She walked over towards him. "You know walking pneumonia can be almost entirely asymptomatic…"

House shook his head. "But I notice everything. And I missed this." He gripped the mental safety bar on Ava's bed tightly.

"This is not your fault," Remy said, cupping his chin in her hand and running her thumb across his stubble.

House turned to look at her, placing his hand over hers. By the look in his eyes, Remy could tell he was still beating himself up. Without saying a word, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to hold some of his weight in a rare moment of vulnerability. Remy pressed her lips against his forehead.

Taub and Chase were about to roll the cart into the room but stopped suddenly outside the doorway at the intimate sight in front of them. Backing away quietly as possible, they watched for a moment – thrown by witnessing this side of their boss. Feeling oddly exploitational, Chase spoke loudly to catch the couple's attention, "Easy now with the cart, Taub." Remy and House turned, stepping away from one another as the other two doctors entered the room, pretending not to have seen anything.

Remy smiled at the pair, and walked over to her daughter to stir her so that she wouldn't be alarmed. "Ava, baby, wake up." Ava's eyes fluttered open slowly. "Dr. Chase and Dr. Taub are here to help you get better."

"Mo medicine?" Ava asked weakly.

"Not quite," Taub said, "We need to give you some new blood that isn't sick."

"We are going to use these tubes to take out the sick blood and then to give you some new blood from this machine," Chase explained, showing her the tube. He grabbed a sterile needle.

"No mo pinches," Ava whined, shaking her head.

"I know you don't want any more pinches, Ava, but it'll only hurt for a second and then you'll start feeling better," Taub said, trying to convince the child.

"No pwease," Ava said, tears starting to fill her eyes.

"What if mummy holds your hand," Chase asked. Before Ava could interject another objection, Remy chimed in.

"What if Chase pokes daddy with it first?" House glared at her, and Remy smirked and shrugged. Ava nodded her head suspiciously.

House bunched up his sleeve, rolling his eyes, and stuck his arm out. Chase smirked before poking the needle through his skin. No one in the room expected House's dramatic response. "Ugh oh God it burns, it's killing me," he yelled dramatically, panting when Chase removed the needle.

Ava's eyes widened in fear, and Remy shot him a glare. "House! Why the hell would you…" House turned and looked at his daughter, cracking a smile.

"Got you."

Realizing her dad's trick, Ava started giggling and House held one of her hands. Chase quickly slipped in the needle and attached the tubing. "Alright, time to get you some new blood." Taub flicked on the machine.

The group heard a knock at the door and turned to find Wilson entering the room. "Uncie Wilson!" Ava said excitedly, "I is gettin new bwood."

"New blood?" Wilson asked playfully, "Are you a vampire?"

"What are you doing here," House asked.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "What, I can't visit my niece anymore?"

"You have clinic hours now."

"Cuddy excused me from it. Asked me to head down here and keep Miss Ava company while you two go home."

"Go home?" Remy asked, furrowing her brow. "We're not leaving."

Wilson sighed. "Neither of you have been to your house in three days. You've hardly eaten or slept, let alone showered. Ava and I will watch a movie together. I'll keep her company."

Remy considered this. "I guess we can pick up some clothes and things for Ava…"

"My bunny!" Ava said.

Remy smiled. Her daughter was clearly getting better. "This is okay with you Ava," she asked, receiving a nod in return.

"Mommy and daddy are smelly, right?" Wilson asked her, causing the child to laugh.

Remy rolled her eyes, grabbing her reluctant husband's hand. "Okay, we'll be gone about an hour and a half. Two hours tops."

-Page Break - Page Break - Page Break - Page Break -

In order to save time, the couple decided to multitask. While House took a shower with a speed that an army soldier would envy, Remy gathered together some spare clothes and toiletries for the two, knowing full well neither of them would want to return to the apartment again until they were heading home with Ava. She packed lightly – a few sets of clothing each in a medium duffel bag. She hoped it wasn't wishful thinking.

Still damp with water, House was left with the remaining tasks while Remy cleaned herself up. He briefly considered whipping up a quick dish of non-hospital food, but this plan was quickly thwarted when he remembered that being away from home meant their fridge was fairly empty. Guess it was more Princeton-Plainsboro delicacies for a few more days.

Sighing, he headed into his daughter's room. Knowing that she would have to remain in hospital garb for her stay, House bypassed Ava's dresser and headed towards her bookshelf, pulling out several of her favorites along with some coloring books and a box of crayons. After tossing them onto the bed, he also picked up his old iPod and Ava's Toy Story headphones so she could listen to music. Added to the collection were sets of Go-Fish and Old Maid cards. Finally, House grabbed her brown rabbit off of the floor next to the bed and the small blanket that his mother had crocheted her, the latter of which reminded him that he had yet to call his mother about what was going on. Now that Ava was recovering, he knew the timing was better. His mother wouldn't have been able to handle seeing her beloved granddaughter so ill. He made a mental note to call her later and let her know what was going on. Scrounging around for something to put everything into, House grabbed Ava's Gravedigger backpack and smiled, remembering the day they had purchased it.

Flashback – that summer

"Damn." Remy heard House groan. Finishing the application of her deep maroon lipstick, she turned away from the mirror to give him a quizzical look. House exhaled heavily. "Seriously, leather jacket?"

Remy laughed. "Just trying to go with the venue. You like?" she asked, giving a little twirl. House took a moment to look her up and down. Remy's cat-eye liner application made the orbs of her eyes pop in challenge with her sultry lip color. Her fitted leather jacket was pulled over a thin, dark purple cami that House knew she wasn't wearing a bra under. That coupled with the ass-hugging dark denim jeans and black boots she was sporting had him practically throbbing.

House adjusted the Gravedigger cap on his head. "You're making me want to be late for monster trucks. And I love monster trucks."

"I know you do," Remy said playfully before turning back to the mirror. House walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her midsection. She could feel the scruff of his facial hair against her neck as he kissed her clavicle and the growing hardness of the bulge in his pants.

"Maybe we can take a detour," House suggested, inhaling her perfume.

Remy sighed, willing herself not to melt into his touch. "You know we can't…" As if on cue, the couple heard the pattering of little feet in the hall.

"I went potty. I is ready," Ava said, skipping into the master bedroom. She was wearing an oversized Gravedigger t-shirt over lime green leggings. Remy had braided her hair with a piece of purple ribbon, and the little girl jumped up and down to show off her new light-up Sketchers.

"Are you?" House asked with mock dramatization, stepping over towards her with his fire-tipped cane. "Are you, Ava Louise Hadley House, ready for your first encounter with… THE GRAVEDIGGER?" He extended a fist and Ava giggled, pounding it.

"Yeah dude!"

Grabbing Ava's hand, the three headed for their car as House continued to try to psych the four-year-old up for her first monster truck show, explaining the crushed cars and flames and voluptuous cheerleaders.

Partway into their ride to the Meadowlands, Remy lowered the volume of the blasting Stones album. "So, what do you think about Wilson's date," she asked House.

"She's blonde, domineering, and a widower," House said, "Just his type." Remy chuckled.

"Uncowl Wilson doesn't need a giwlfwiend," Ava chimed in from the backseat.

"Oh?" Remy encouraged.

"Nope," said Ava, continuing to work on her coloring book. "I can be his giwlfwiend."

Remy struggled to hold back her laughter, and House smirked. "May-December romance… wonder where she got that idea," he said sarcastically.

"That's very sweet, Ava," Remy said with a chuckle, "But if you were Uncle Wilson's girlfriend, then you couldn't be his niece anymore."

"Unless we move to Kentucky," House joked, earning him a jab in the ribs. In spite of this, Ava nodded.

"Okay Mama. What is Uncowl Wilson's giwlfwiend's name?"

"Olivia," House relayed.

"That has a V in it like Ava," the little girl said proudly.

"That it does. Nice job, Jitterbug."

The family continued along, car-ride interjected with music and banter and House occasionally letting one rip.

When they got to the stadium, Ava was amazed. The hugeness of it all. The lights, the music, the people. She gripped her parents' hands tightly so as not to get lost.

"Look, gwow sticks!" she said excitedly, noticing one of the vendors. House grabbed a few dollars out of his wallet and purchased some sticks – green and purple of course. Cracking them, he shaped them into two circles and placed them around Ava's neck.

"Thank you," she said as they continued on towards their seats. "Daddy, Mama – how do these work?"

Chemiluminesence," House said, "When you crack the sticks, it lets two chemicals called hydrogen peroxide and phenyl oxalate ester inside touch. The molecules touching makes them glow."

"What's a molecool?"

"A molecule is a tiny tiny part of a chemical that you can't see."

"So I has a molecool necklace?" The pair nodded and Ava smiled. "I know why they cawl it cool," she said, making her parents chuckle.

When they arrived at their seats, Wilson and Olivia had yet to arrive. House settled down in his seat, Ava balanced on his good leg, and shot Wilson a text letting him know where they were. "I'm going to go grab us some beers," Remy said, tossing her purse down on her seat.

"You're a goddess," House said, looking up at her. Remy smiled cheekily and pecked him on the lips before heading to the concessions stand. In the meanwhile, House gave Ava the run-down – pointing out the different parts of the course, teaching her about the different trucks and why the Gravedigger was the most superior. When Remy came back, four beers in hand, she took a brief moment to observe the quintessential father-daughter moment before heading back to her seat.

Her return coincided with Wilson and Olivia's arrival. "Olivia, this is Greg – well, House – and Remy and their daughter, Ava. Everyone, this is Olivia," Wilson introduced bashfully, as though he was a high school boy bringing home a girl to meet his parents for the first time.

"Hi, I've heard so many great things about you," Olivia said with superficial sweetness. "Sorry we're late. I had been overdressed and had to change. James didn't tell me beforehand how… casual these things were." She ruffled his hair with her long French tips.

"Of course," House said with his typical obnoxious tone. "I know I always have trouble deciding between my sneakers and French loafers for an event based on crushing cars into the mud."

While agreeing with him – this woman was clearly annoying – Remy shot him a warning glance to behave. "Don't worry about it. Nice to meet you, Olivia. Here, I grabbed you and Wilson each a Coors.

A look of disgust crossed the blonde's face. "Oh no thank you. I don't drink beer. It's so… butch. I'm a wine spritzer girl through and through." She laughed heartily and Remy forced a grin.

"Oh don't worry, more for me then," she said, trying to mask her annoyance. She passed Wilson and House their cups and placed the extra in the seat holder in front of her.

Olivia smiled. "A woman who can drink. Well, I guess it's no surprise you aren't a cheap date…" The group looked at her, confused, and Olivia stuttered awkwardly. "Well, I mean, you're clearly younger. And women who date older men tend to… you know… money. I was—I was just making a joke. James said that you're her boss."

House rolled his eyes and grabbed Remy's knee. "Nah, I'm the golddigger here. Babycakes here has a trust fund."

"Oh how wonderful," Olivia said, clearly not understanding House's sarcasm and blatant lie, plastering a large smile on her face.

Wilson cleared his throat in a desperate attempt to relieve the awkwardness of the situation. "So, Ava, are you excited for your first monster truck rally."

"Yeah!" the little girl cheered. "I wanna see the truwks spinnin,'" she enthused in reference to the donut contest House had showed her a video of.

"You have a nice necklace, Ana… I mean, Ava," Olivia corrected, referring to her glowsticks.

"Thank you, they have molecools," Ava explained before hopping up onto Remy's lap.

Wilson's distasteful date aside, the show itself was incredible. All of the car-crushing, loud and smokey, stunt-filled competition that a kid (and House) could ask for. His proudest moment was perhaps when Ava asked to go down to the "Pit Party" so that she could get Dennis Anderson to autograph her t-shirt. On their way back to the stands, he had purchased her a Grave Digger backpack which she couldn't wait to show off in Kindergarten next year. As he stuffed the last bit of books into the bag, House smiled at the thought that, now that she was diagnosed and recovering, he wouldn't have to worry about whether or not she would make it to that point.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I only wish that I owned House M.D.

A/N: An update – finally! Please review for another :) M content in bold.

Chapter 8

"You ready to blow this popsicle stand, kiddo?" House asked his now smiling daughter. Ava nodded her head vigorously, gripping the teddy bear Wilson recently gave her tightly. House limped over to stand behind her wheelchair and made a sound like a car revving its engine. "Racers to your marks. Get set. G-"

"Stop!" Cuddy said commandingly, but with a small smirk. "Hate to spoil the fun, but Ava we don't need your dad winding up in his own wheelchair do we?"

"Spoil sport," House retorted with an eye roll as a pediatric nurse took the chair in his lieu.

"Where's mama?" Ava asked, tugging on House's button down as the group headed down the hall.

"Our chauffeur is grabbing the car."

"What's a show fur?"

"Something you'll buy for daddy one day when you are rich and famous."

"I wanna be a donut maker when I'm growded up."

"Well, there goes that dream. I'll buy some stock in Dunkin."

"What's a stock?"

House initial sigh at his daughter's constant curiosity – an unsurprising (albeit draining) trait given her genetics – melted into a small smile. He was grateful that she was feeling well enough to be so chatty. And even more grateful to see Remy pull the Benz up in front of the lobby. "Oh look who is it," House diverted, "Our chariot awaits."

"What's a chariot?"

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Luckily for House and Remy, their daughter's burst of energy was short-lived and, still recovering from being ill, she was fast asleep by the time they reached their apartment. After settling her into bed, the couple collapsed on the couch, exhausted by stress and lack of sleep.

"What time does she need her next medication dose?" Remy asked after a couple minutes of fatigued silence.

"8:00. Don't worry, I set an alarm on my phone," House replied, running his fingers through his messy hair.

Remy gave him a small smile before grimacing. "Your hair is pretty greasy, babe. You want to shower first?"

"I was thinking bath. Care to join?" Remy quirked an eyebrow and House rolled his eyes. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but not like that. I can hardly move."

Remy chuckled. "That makes the two of us."

"Yeah, but I'm twice your age."

"And you have the bum leg," Remy added cheekily. "Stay here, grandpa, I'll start the water," she said, standing and giving him a peck before heading to the bathroom.

Several minutes later, House dragged himself from the comforts of their sofa and padded to Ava's room, checking on the sleeping girl before he continued on to the steam-filled master bathroom. Remy smiled at him as she emptied some bubble bath solution into the water, stirring it with her hand to release a calming lavender fragrance. As they were disrobing, the pair heard a slight cough from the other room. "You're already almost undressed," Remy observed, yanking her tank top back down. "You get in. I'll join you in a second." With that, she went to check on Ava. House waited a few moments, listening to hear if Ava's cough got worse or if Remy called for him. After a few minutes, he was satisfied that there was no pressing issue and headed for the tub, carefully lowering himself with the help of the assist bar. Grabbing the shampoo, he figured he would get the actual cleaning part over with so he could spend the majority of his time simply soaking in the warm liquid heat.

"Temperature good?" Remy asked a few minutes later, entering the room whilst removing her tank.

House nodded. "Kiddo good?"

"Yep," Remy relayed, unclipping her bra. "Her throat was a bit scratchy but some water helped. She dozed back off again. She's exhausted." She submerged herself in the bath water, settling back against House's chest with a small, relaxed sigh.

The older doctor brushed her hair to the side, placing a kiss on her naked shoulder. "Let's have her sleep in our room tonight. So we can keep an eye on her."

Remy nodded affirmatively. After a few moments she asked, "How's your leg?" House had spent the better portion of the week on his feet, pacing around, racking his mind to come up with a diagnosis for Ava. Remy assumed that his injured side must be killing him.

"Sore."

Remy frowned and very lightly traced her fingers over his scar before gently massaging them into the surrounding tissue. "Does that feel okay?"

"Mmmm," House assured gratefully, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist. The position naturally pulled her a bit closer, and House buried his nose in her hair. While normally the gesture was comforting, this time he pulled back with a grimace. "And you said my hair was greasy."

Remy chuckled. "I know. It's disgusting." She moved to grab the shampoo bottle but House took it out of her hands.

"Wet your hair." Remy obliged while House squirted some of the gel into his palm, rubbing his hands together. He then tangled his fingers in her long chestnut hair and pressed his fingertips into her scalp, massaging the skin.

Remy eased back, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation. When he drew small circles over her temples, she released a small moan. "That feels so good."

House smirked, always pleased at the times when the younger woman was reduced to putty in his hands – he had to admit, it made his fifty-year-old ass feel like a stud. Yet, while the intent of his actions were more sensual than actively sexual, he now found that "Little Greg" did not receive that same memo. He shifted slightly in the hopes of making this reality less obvious, but Remy's quiet chuckle a few seconds later informed him of his lack of success in this effort.

"You good?" she asked cheekily.

"Mhmm," House said simply, dragging his fingers through her tresses and breathing in the intoxicating scent. That wasn't helping his case.

Remy smirked as she felt his growing hardness pressed against the small of her back. Poor man – even as exhausted as his conscious mind was, he didn't stand a chance. Remy knew that the two were too exhausted for any real shenanigans and that they wanted to get to bed soon to keep an eye on their daughter; however she also pitied her companion, whom she knew was anticipating being blue-balled. Shifting her hips slightly, she stifled a chuckle as she heard him try not to groan. She twisted her body sideways, her weight favoring his uninjured side. Giving him a smile, she gripped his package with her hand, bringing it up and down with a steady pace.

House grinned at her before settling back. While he was thankful for Remy's assistance, he knew that in this moment the task was more an address of need than a romp of pleasure. He felt her increase the pace of her moment and knew that he wouldn't last long, his breath already becoming shallow. After another minute, he exploded into a satisfactory orgasm, his load streaming through the water. No clean up necessary.

As his breathing returned to normal, Remy leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips. "Better?" she asked playfully. House nodded and she laughed. "You seriously have no willpower." He simply smirked in return, lightly slapping her ass to encourage her to move. Draining the tub, the two toweled off and slipped into their nightclothes. House then watched Remy's retreating form as she headed to retrieve their sleeping daughter, admiring the small sway of his wife's hips. While tonight had certainly been more a chore than anything else, he thought to himself, he hoped to enjoy some true quality time with her soon.

Shaking the ensuing raunchy thoughts from his mind, he padded over to the bed and fixed their pillows, slipping one into the center for Ava. His two girls soon entered the room, the sleepy-eyed four-year-old awake but yawning heavily. "Hi daddy," she greeted tiredly as Remy helped her onto the bed.

"Hey there Jitterbug," he said, kissing her on top of the head and tucking her in. He and Remy slipped under the blankets after her.

"Let's get some more rest now, sweetheart," Remy said, treading her fingers through the girl's curly hair.

"Can I has a stowry?"

"Of course, baby," Remy responded as House reached into one of the drawers of their nightstand, grabbing whatever book was on top. He smiled finding that it was one of his daughter's favorites. With Ava cuddled up against Remy, House entertained the two with a rendition of an Amelia Bedelia story, coming up with all sorts of voices for the different characters. Remy smiled. She loved seeing this side of her husband and was equally entertained at the thought of how his colleagues would respond if they saw this playful, paternal side of him. While fiercely intelligent and complexly brooding, House also had an almost boyish essence to his personality, one which he most prominently displayed only for her and Ava. She loved all of Houses many sides – okay, maybe not all of them all of the time – but this one was one that she most enjoyed uncovering.

Looking down, however, she found that her daughter had fallen fast asleep, sucking on her thumb. Remy smiled at House, who placed the book and his reading glasses on the bedside table, flicking off the light. Ensconced in the darkness, the couple finally allowed themselves to settle into the comforts of their bed, more than ready for a deep night's sleep. Just as she was about to doze off, she felt a gentle squeeze on her fingers and flicked open her eyes, meeting House's gaze over their daughter's head. The moonlight reflected off of the deep bags under his eyes, making it clear how wearied he was.

"I love you," he whispered. Remy felt her body warm with the sentiment – one he didn't give frequently – and she gave his fingers a squeeze back.

"I love you too." With that and one more look at their recovering daughter, the couple succumbed to a heavy sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I only wish I owned House M.D.

Chapter 9

House pushed open the door to the apartment, tenuously balancing a stack of DVDs in one arm and his cane in the other. It was Ava's first full day home from the hospital, and while he assumed that she would spend most of her time sleeping, he figured some of her favorite films might cheer her up. He entered the living room to find his daughter and wife on the couch, Remy spooning some jello into Ava's mouth.

"Hi daddy," Ava said with a grin, a drop of cherry goop falling from her chin.

"Hey there, Jitterbug," he said, placing the DVD cases on the coffee table. "I picked you up some movies. What's your pleasure?" he asked. House knew the answer before Ava even responded. Like most other girls her age, his daughter had an uncanny fixation on the film Frozen. Normally, the music made both House and Remy want to drive a nail through their heads, but it was an unspoken agreement that at least for the next few days, what Ava wanted Ava got.

Which is why about 10 minutes later, Remy and House found themselves singing along to "Do You Want to Build A Snowman." "Thanks so much for picking up movies, Greg," Remy said sarcastically, laughing at the smile that House was forcing.

"Shhh!" Ava hushed loudly, chiding her parents. "This is one of the best pawrts." Remy pursed her lips to quell a chuckle. Ava was a good-natured kid, but had the tendency to be a bit demanding. While many attributed this less charming trait to her being an only child, Remy speculated that it probably had a bit more to do with genetics, she and House being stubborn in their own right.

The group watched in focused silence – well, at least under the guise of focused silence – Ava humming along to all of her favorite tunes and quoting her favorite lines of dialogue. Lord knows how many times she had seen the movie, Remy thought to herself. She was surprised they hadn't purchased it yet, and made the mental note to add it to Ava's Christmas list.

By the time Elsa was ready to let it go, House had also had enough and excused himself with the pretext of having to "check in with the team." Remy gave him a smoldering glare, envying his escape route, and he smirked at her before hobbling off to the bedroom.

Grabbing his cell phone out of his pocket, he hit his third speed dial button, the text HOMIE lighting up across the screen. Foreman answered a moment later.

"How's the case?" House asked, skipping the niceties. While he and Remy had been given time off while Ava recovered, the team had been set to task with diagnosing a forty-year-old housewife whose contentment with her life was as fake as her blonde hair.

"The case is being managed… by me," Foreman responded, irritation and possessiveness clear in his tone.

House rolled his eyes. "Relax bro. This case isn't difficult. It can be your baby. What is difficult is my baby making me watch an animated snowman lose his nose for the fiftieth time this year."

House heard Foreman exhale in frustration, his ego deflated by House's flippant remarks about the ease of the case. "We started her on IV interferon for M.S. She's responding."

"Good," House said, taking a seat on the end of the bed. "And how are… you?" He was met with silence and could envision the confusion plastered across his employee's face. "There are still 34 minutes of the movie left," the older man explained.

Foreman chuckled. "I am on my way to tell the husband that his wife –" A panicked yell of his name interrupted House, and he slammed his cell phone shut, rushing down the hall. The tune of "Winter's Waltz" echoed through the living room, but rather than watching, Ava lay whimpering on the couch. House met Remy's terror-stricken eyes.

"She can't move her legs."

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The room was still and full of tense silence, as House and Remy looked over their daughter, once again looking small and pale against the large hospital bed. They had rushed her back to Princeton-Plainsboro, bypassing the emergency room and, with Cuddy's go ahead, getting her immediately into imaging. Not that it had been helpful. The CT scan showed no structural abnormalities and offered no explanation for her sudden muscle weakness. While Ava had regained some ability to move her legs over the past several hours, her gait was uncoordinated and she could hardly stand, let alone walk.

As he furrowed his brow, desperately trying to come up with an answer – or at least a plan of action, Remy's hoarse whisper interrupted him.

"What if it's…"

"No," House said harshly, shaking his head.

Remy looked at him, her eyes threatening to spill over with heavy tears. "The test could have been negative," she managed to say. "We never re-checked it. We should have…"

"It's not Huntington's," House responded angrily. Seeing the panic in his wife's eyes, he softened only slightly. "She doesn't have any tremors…"

Remy shook her head rigorously. "Juvenile Huntington's doesn't present like that in most cases," she countered, clearing her throat, "Leg stiffness, rigidity, lack of balance. We have to test her."

"No, we don't," he growled. "She doesn't have Huntington's. The test…"

"It could have been wrong!" Remy cried out. House turned towards her, ready to yell back but faltered when he saw Remy. She was weeping heavily now, arms wrapped tightly around stomach as though she was trying to hold herself together. House sighed, guiding her out of the room into the empty hallway so they wouldn't wake Ava. Once there, she fell against his chest, sobs wracking her small frame. House supported her body against his, his icy blue eyes becoming cloudy. "We have- to re-test her," Remy hiccupped.

House pulled her more tightly against him. "I know."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It was déjà vu in the worse sort of way, Remy managed to think as they sat there. The body tightened in stress. How time seemed to freeze. Never did she think she would be going through this again.

Flashback

The exam table paper crinkled as Remy yet again adjusted her position. Nervous didn't even begin to describe her current emotions and, judging from House's intense stare at the wall and tapping of his cane, he was in a similar place. She glanced at her watch – Jesus, had it only been five minutes.

They were waiting for the results of the prenatal HD test – Remy having had a chorionic villus sampling procedure earlier last week. The past several days had been torturous in themselves. Exceeding the normal discomfort of morning sickness was the daily stomach-churning reminder that the fetus she was carrying could have a death-sentence.

Fetus. Remy sighed at the word. She was trying to remain detached at present, knowing that if the test was positive, she would be terminating the pregnancy. That said, it was becoming much harder, and a large part of her wished she could just be enjoying the early months of her pregnancy like the average person could. The other night, even House had slipped and referred to it as a baby. That made her worried.

She found herself looking at her husband and his impenetrable gaze. He hadn't said a word to her since they had been ushered into the examination room at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital (although the couple clearly had an affinity for Princeton-Plainsboro, they had decided that it was too risky to see a clinician there, fearing the gossip mills would over-ride HIPPA policy). On the one hand, Remy wished that House would comfort her now – maybe hold her hand or give her some reassuring words. On the other hand, she knew that wasn't the man that she married, and that in the end, even if it was in his own unique way, he would be there for her. At least she hoped that…

The opening of the door broke her out of her thoughts, and a middle-aged woman entered the room. Dr. Jane Hamilton, head of fetal/maternal medicine. House had assured that they were seen by the best. "Remy, Greg," she greeted, House stiffening slightly at the use of his name. "How are you both doing?" Remy shrugged. "How do you think," she thought to herself bitterly, subconsciously holding her still-flat stomach.

Dr. Hamilton gave the couple a small, sympathetic smile. "I can't imagine how you both are feeling." "Then don't try," came another frustrated thought.

While Remy remained politely silent, House was more brusque. "Do you have the result?"

Dr. Hamilton nodded, "Ah, yes, let's get right to it." She opened the manila folder that she was holding and held out the paper to the couple to examine themselves. "The tests are negative. There's a 99.7% chance that your baby does not have the excessive CAG repeat."

The breath Remy had been holding came out in a relieved sob, and she looked down at the paper, which indeed read NEGATIVE instead of the bright red letters she had seen only a couple of years prior when she tested herself.

"You- you're sure?" she asked in disbelief.

Dr. Hamilton nodded happily. "Yes, no signs of abnormalities in the standard genetic panel." House had grabbed the results and was examining them carefully. Remy saw the small grin that crossed his face as he nodded. "Do either of you have any other questions?" Dr. Hamilton asked, receiving two shaking heads in response. She smiled. "Well, normally as you know we do the first ultrasound at 18 weeks, but given the circumstances, would you two like to see your baby today?" The pair looked at each other momentarily, still grounding themselves in the surrealness of the moment, both having had prepared for the worst.

"Um yes. Yes please," Remy finally responded.

"Excellent," Dr. Hamilton said cheerily, moving to wash her hands. After slipping on some latex gloves, she pulled over the imaging machine. "If you could lay back and lift your shirt please, Remy?" Remy pulled up her t-shirt to sit below her breasts and settled back against the crisp paper. "Greg, how about you take a seat up by your wife," Dr. Hamilton suggested to the older man, who still was positioned at the foot of the table. Remy watched as House stood, his ears tinged with pink. He was clearly embarrassed by the attention, and she knew that he was still adjusting to a parental as opposed to medical role. She couldn't blame him. Up until ten minutes ago, neither of them were technically allowing themselves to get attached.

House stood next to Remy, gently caressing around her forehead with his thumb when Dr. Hamilton's eyes were turned towards the machine, adjusting its settings. The brunette smiled up at him. "Okay, a little cold," Dr. Hamilton warned, turning back to her with a bottle of gel in hand, which she squirted generously over Remy's abdomen. She then pressed the wand against her, spreading the gel and adjusting the placement until a grainy image yet distinct appeared on the screen. "And there is your baby."

Remy had taken courses in obstetrics. She knew that at 10 weeks, a fetus was a little over an inch long. She knew that by this point, it had most of its vital organs and even had fingernails. She knew there was a heartbeat. But what Remy didn't know until that moment was how much you could already love something the size of an olives or about the chills you could feel in hearing the sound of that heart beating for the first time.

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Never did 0.3% seem like so much. The room was silent. House held Ava's hand, as he let his mind wander.

Flashback

"Ugh fuck you, House!"

House grimaced as he felt Remy grip his hand tightly, but remained silent. He may be an arrogant asshole, but even he knew not to mess with his wife when she was in labor, lest he be resigned to a sexless existence on the couch with permanent diaper duty.

"Come on now, Remy," Dr. Louis encouraged, "You need to keep pushing. One, two, three—"

Remy collapsed back against the bed, clearly exhausted, and House frowned. The young doctor had been in labor for over twelve hours now and had been trying to deliver for – House glanced at the clock – an hour and seven minutes. Gregory House was far from the positive, coaching types, but he did love his wife and figured a risk to his street cred was worth in at the moment. His leg aching – although complaining about his own pain would probably be frowned upon at the moment – House leaned over so that he was closer to Remy's face. "Rem," he started, pulling the sweaty strands of her hair that had fallen into her face off of her forehead, "You're almost done. You can do this."

Remy looked up at him, eyes narrowed. "If it's so easy, you do it."

"I have a bit smaller of a hole to work with," House countered with a smirk.

Remy grimaced, but House didn't fail to see a small smile grace her otherwise pained feature. She sighed heavily before whimpering, "It's been over an hour." House stifled a chuckle at his wife, who was looking up at him with an almost childish pout.

"Yes, well, I don't like being woken up before 11. Looks like it takes after me. Come on now, you have to push."

Remy sighed heavily but allowed House to help her back into birthing position. While he had hoped that his attempt at a pep talk would have been largely successful, it was another fifteen minutes before Dr. Louis called out that the baby was crowning. Moving slightly to look over Remy's knee and the drape of her gown, House saw the tuft of brownish hair emerging from between her legs. While he would have to block that image out of his mind the next time he and Remy had sex, he couldn't deny that it was incredible.

"Okay, now one-two-three…" Dr. Louis counted out as House watched as the baby's head slipped out of its confines. Within moments, the shoulders followed in suit and time seemed to freeze as Remy's yells were replaced by the baby's strong cry.

"It's a girl!"

~*Page Break*~~*Page Break*~~*Page Break*~~*Page Break*~~*Page Break*~

House's pager beeped, interrupting the silence. He squeezed his daughter's hand once more before limping out of the room and down the hall into the lab, where the remainder of his fellows were waiting. He looked at Foreman anxiously and the younger doctor relayed, "Negative. They're all negative."

He couldn't believe it until he saw it himself. Grabbing the test results out of Chase's hand, he read through the text. Negative. Negative. Even the test that he had performed himself, all negative with 99.9% accuracy. He went so far as to read through the genetic coding itself, quickly locating the huntingtin gene sequence on the 4th chromosome. CAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAGCAG. He counted them out. Thirteen. Perfectly within normal range. Lucky number thirteen.

A/N: A little bit of the science involved in this chapter – Huntington's Disease is caused by an excessive CAG (a sequence of nucleotides) repeat on chromosome 4. This chromosome codes for the huntingin protein which, when malformed due to the repeats, caused clumping in the brain and the death of nerve cells (and in turn, Huntington's Disease). People without Huntington's Disease usually have between 11 and 29 CAG repeats. To be diagnosed with Huntington's, the person usually has anywhere from 40 to over 80 repeats.

So, Ava is still sick but definitely does not have Huntington's Disease. Please review for the next update!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"It could be SLE. We attributed the hemolytic anemia and the pleural effusion to the pneumonia, but that could have just been a… fluke," Foreman offered, careful to avoid the word coincidence (not that it pulled wool over House's eyes). "We should run an ANA."

"Lupus usually presents with a rash though," Chase countered. "Plus there's no sign of joint pain."

"It could be MS," Cameron said, entering through the glass door.

House gave her a quizzical look. "What are you doing here?"

The blonde shrugged. "The ER wasn't busy…"

House sighed and rolled his eyes. His employees, past and present, were never good at lying to him. That said, as much as he was loathe to admit it, he needed as much brainstorming as possible with Ava's case, given that any sort of improvement she had made in terms of motility was now at a stand-still. With their daughter napping, even Remy was in the DDX room.

"Before we jump into an LP, we should test her for a vitamin deficiency," Taub speculated, "Maybe her system isn't absorbing B12. Could be related to the anemia. Or even lupus."

"Maybe it's not a deficiency but a buildup. Wilson's Disease," Remy augmented.

House gripped the bridge of his nose while he contemplated. "Run an ANA and test her levels," he practically growled, frustrated. "Check for any signs of SLE, vitamin deficiency or Wilson's. If those are negative, we'll do the LP." The doctors nodded and everyone except for House and Remy left the room. House gestured to her towards his more private office, where he drew the blinds before settling into his arm chair. Remy sat in front of him on the foot rest.

"How is she doing?"

"She was only awake for another half hour before you left. She's exhausted."

House nodded solemnly, taking one of Remy's hands into his and examining it absentmindedly. She leaned over and placed a kiss on the crown of his head, allowing herself to rest there for several moments.

House straightened, his icy blue eyes meeting hers. "I don't know what to do."

"Me either."

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About an hour later, both House and Remy were paged that the tests showed no abnormalities. This left House with no other option – at least that he could presently conceive – than to jab a needle into his four-year-old's spine. While he trusted his fellow's aptitude for the test with anyone else, he wouldn't let any of them touch Ava. With her nervous and muscular system already failing, he couldn't risk any damage to her spinal cord. He and Remy headed back to her room, where Chase was trying to delicately explain the procedure to her.

"Mama," Ava cried, eyes filled with pools of tears, "Doctowr Chawse says I got to get a neewdle in my back. I don't want to." She broke into sobs, and House glared at Chase for having explained the procedure to her in any way before he or Remy was present.

Remy hurried over to her side and pulled her into a soothing hug. "Shh, I know baby. I know it sounds very scary, but I promise it will be okay."

Ava was inconsolable, her body shaking in a combination of crying, nervousness, and muscle tremors. "Will- will- will it huwrt?" she hiccupped.

Remy bit her lip and looked at her daughter, brushing some stray curls out of her face. She nodded solemnly as she watched Chase and Foreman preparing the needle behind the girl's back. "It will. But I'll be here the whole time and I'll hold your hand and you can squeeze it really tight. And Daddy will be here too. He'll be using the needle and will make sure that nothing bad happens." Ava whimpered. "I know it's very scary, sweetheart. I was scared when I got one too."

Ava looked at her quizzically, sniffling. "You had-ed a neewdle in your back too?"

"Mhmm," Remy said comfortingly, "You know how Mommy has to go for check ups a lot?" Ava nodded. "Well, a lot of times when I go, they have to put a needle there."

"Do you have what I have?" Ava asked innocently. Remy froze and looked up at House, whose own expression had fallen back to a protective unreadableness. While the couple had gestured to Ava that Remy was sick, they hadn't yet fully explained the situation. Remy was asymptomatic, and Ava was young.

Remy cleared her throat, taking note of her colleagues who were clearly trying not to invade. "Umm, no not the same thing. They use needles for lots of different types of sickness."

"Your doctowrs are trying to make you all better too?"

Remy felt her breath catch in her lungs and forced back the tears that threatened to fall. She forced a smile. "Yeah, baby, they're trying to."

Ava smiled. "Good. 'Cause I don't want you to be sick, Mama."

Remy tried desperately to change the subject, knowing she couldn't mask her actual emotions much longer. It was draining enough to be dealing with Ava's condition. She couldn't handle having to explain to her four-year-old how the doctors likely couldn't make her better as much as they tried. "I don't want you to be sick either, Ava. So that's why you have to let Daddy do this test."

Ava furrowed her brow, and Remy couldn't help but notice how much the expression made her look like House when he was in deep thought. "Okay, Mama."

"Okay, Jitterbug," House said, finally vocal, taking a step behind her. "Dr. Foreman is going to hold your knees up. You have to be very very still."

"Like the statues in the pawrk?"

Remy chuckled, taking both of her hands. "Yes baby."

The group moved into position while Chase monitored Ava's vitals. House quickly swabbed Ava's ivory skin in benzidine. He then grabbed the needle and held it in line with his target. "You ready, Jitterbug?" Ava nodded. "Remember now, you have to keep your body very, very still. Just hold on to Mama's hands." Just as he was about to puncture her skin, however, Remy's voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

House could sense the nervousness in her tone. "What is it?" he asked, starting to limp around the side of the bed.

"Her eye." Ava's left eye had rolled upwards, positioning her iris and pupil in an odd disarray. "Ophthalmoplegia."

House grabbed a pen light out of his blazer pocket and flicked the light back and forth in front of Ava's face. "This isn't MS," House explained.

"Miller-Fisher?" Chase asked.

House shook his head. "She has ataxia and ophthalmoplegia. It's Bickerstaff's encephalitis. Guillain-Barré Syndrome."

Foreman sighed. "An auto-immune response to the pneumonia."

"Ava, we'll be right back," House explained, leading the other doctors into the hallway.

"Should we test her for Anti—GQ1b antibodies to confirm?" Chase asked.

"No," House said, shaking his head. "Not enough time. With this advanced a stage, she's at risk for coma or- " Looking at Remy, he didn't finish the sentence. "Start her on intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis immediately.

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Luckily, Ava's condition began to steadily improve once treatment began. That said, as is sometimes the case with more severe episodes of Guillain Barré Syndrome, the aftermath of the condition left her in need of rehabilitation, as she was still unable to walk upon leaving Princeton-Plainsboro. Which is why House now found himself laying on a cot with his feet propped up on a medicine ball. When the family had entered the physical therapy office for the first time, one of the therapists took one look of House's cane and suggested a two-for-one deal, alluding that seeing her father do exercises might motivate Ava in her recovery. While House had been dead-set against it, despite being woefully outnumbered, he relinquished when Ava looked up at him with wide, excited eyes: "Please, daddy." That little girl had him wrapped around her finger.

While he was loath to admit it, the PT was helping his leg. He wouldn't be signing up for any marathons soon, and he still needed his cane, but the pain was slightly more manageable than it had been after a few weeks. Finishing his last set of exercises, he collapsed back against the cot and wiped the sweat from his brow before looking across the room where Ava was working with a young (and, as House was concerned, far too sun-shiney) therapist, Vanessa.

"That's it Ava," the twenty-something year old encouraged cheerfully. "You can do it!" Steadying herself with a walker, Ava was playing the game "Just Dance." When the song ended, she looked over at House with a huge grin.

"Daddy, come play with me!"

God, he had to work on his will power. Minutes later, House found himself holding a wii-remote, stumbling along to the tune of the Spice Girl's "Wannabe." Remy could hardly contain her laughter and was practically falling off of her seat, iPhone posed to film the two. House figured if he was going to play the game, he wasn't going to do it half-assed, and he up-ed his flamboyancy, swinging his hips and flicking his wrists, much to Ava's amusement. In the end, however, the little girl still won.

After the game, the two headed back to their neighboring cots for the post-work out treatments. Vanessa had situated two heating backs on Ava's legs, and the little girl was now munching happily on some gummy treats, engrossed in a television show that she was watching on Remy's iPod. With her younger patient all settled, Vanessa turned her attention to House. "I'm just going to go wash my hands and then I'll be back here to massage your leg."

"Ah yes, my "leg" massage," House said with an exaggerated wink, causing the young woman to blush furiously as her head ping-ponged back and forth between Remy and Ava. "Uh- I'll uh be right back," she stuttered, quickly evading the area.

Remy rolled her eyes, walking over from the side of Ava's cot to his. "You're a real asshole, you know that?" she said, nevertheless chuckling at her husband's cruel employment of humor. He endlessly tortured the therapists, particularly when she gave him a session of difficult exercises. Retribution.

"She makes it too easy."

Remy shook her head with a grin, placing a hand on House's shoulder and leaning in to whisper in his ear. "If you promise to be a model patient, I'll give you a massage of my own later." House smirked and admired her retreating form as she headed back to Ava's bedside. He looked at the two as their faces filled with laughter at something funny on the screen, neither of their bodies trembling. At the moment, all healthy. After a few moments, as Ava called his name to reenact whatever entertaining scene had just happened, Remy caught his watchful gaze and smiled, and he couldn't help but think back to the first time he met her in that crowded lecture hall with the number 13 around her neck. What they had was unconventional. It was most likely going to be short-lived comparatively. But damn, Gregory House was lucky.


End file.
